As we are having a large number of people over for thanksgiving we are making a lot of food. I am hoping to store lots of food outside on the screened in porch. Tonight there will be 12 hours at 32 and below, bottoming at 26 degrees. Since food freezes at a lower temperature than pure water, I am hoping this will be fine. Is it likely that this food will freeze?
Food freezers are -18C (0F). I can’t imagine food would freeze properly at 26F - especially as it may not get that low on the porch.
Edit… I misread your question. You don’t want the food to freeze, right? Well depending how insulated your porch is, it might still freeze slightly, which could affect the food. Salad that has slightly frozen is no fun at all.
The porch should stay a few degrees warmer than the ambient temperature, so it should be ok. Casseroles and pies won’t suffer from freezing anyway and if possible put the more sensitive food (dairy, salads) in coolers or boxes to help insulate them.